Here's a pm from a friend over on highaltitude and I was wondering if you guys could help him.....

"Are you familiar with the rear window of a 94 4Runner? I picked up the truck from my father inlaw, he said that that he heard what sounded like plastic breaking the last time he rolled it down. The window does not roll up all the way on the driver side. My guess is that the clip that holds the window to the track prob broke.

Is it a PITA to remove/change the rear window? Or to gain access to the clips to fix the issue?

Any help is appreciated."

 

The common problems in the 2nd Gen 4Runner rear hatch window are:

1. There are two plastic rollers (one at the end of each arm of the regulator) that run in the window channels that can wear or break. If this is the case, you have to replace the whole regulator (> $100), or get creative and cut/drill out the old rollers/pins and find replacement rollers at a hardware store that you can bolt on.

2. There are two metal window channels (fixed to the bottom of the glass, one on each end). These channels typically rust and break, or they get filled with dirt and grime and prevent the rollers from running smootly through them. If this is the case, replace them. There are two different part numbers for each channel, and you also have to buy a rubber channel "filler". One part number for this... I believe both fillers come as a set.

3. The teeth on the regulator arms or window motor sometimes break or wear (not as likely). This would require replacement of the regulator and/or motor unless you are good at doing weld repairs.

Working in the rear hatch is tricky... due to tight working spaces, but the whole job is not too hard.
Hope this helps.

 

Looks like it was the tracks/channel. I pulled the panel off and sure enough here is what i found.










Wonder if anyone locally is willing to help me fix the problem.

 

Its an easy fix. I did mine about two weeks ago or so. The parts were dealer only and they ran about $20 bucks a side for the metal pieces. The rubber pieces are extra, I didn't replace mine but you may need to replace yours....

Its a quick fix if you can get it down far enough to take those pictures.

 

Look in the tech writeup section....I've seen many posting regarding this.

 

i've looked but i cannot find a good write up... Here is where i looked.... https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f128/

 

well it wasn't that tough of a job... got the parts during lunch at work. got home around 5.. started the job, didn't have a mallet and had a hard time getting the channels pressed in. went to dinner with the wife. came back and just completed the work. i loosened the regulator to slide the rollers into the channels, and that made it much easier to install. on a scale of 1-10 i would say it is a 4.